Joal Lebon
Admiral Joal Lebon was a former Galactic Alliance Special Forces Captain who joined Foelin's Brigade at its inception to assist his good friend, Talben Foelin. He was given the rank of Major, and placed in charge of the Rocket Rangers, a special battalion of jet-pack wearing soldiers. Soon after operations began, he was promoted to Admiral. He was known for initially leading his troops straight into battle, charging in the front and accompanying his troops even into the harshest battles. However, following a near-death experience on Felucia in the Fourth Battle of Felucia during the Yuuzhan Vong war, he began to instead lead his troops from the bridge and take a less involved role in the fighting. Biography Birth and Early Life Joal Lebon was born on Corulag in 3 ABY, to an Imperial Captain and his mother. His father was killed in the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, when he was only one year old. His mother was forced to move from the Corulag base he was killed, and she moved to Coruscant with the death benefits she received. Shortly after, her mother became sympathetic to the ideals of the New Republic, and she assisted the New Republic in seizing Coruscant in 6 ABY. Most of Joal's early life was uneventful, having attended a private school on Coruscant while his mother went into politics, becoming an aide for Chief of State Mon Mothma, and later Leia Organa Solo. Military Service In 21 ABY, when Joal was eighteen, he joined the New Republic Army, to follow in the footsteps of his father, albeit on a lighter path. Four years later, in 25 ABY, when Joal was just a sergeant in the New Republic Army, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the New Republic, quickly seizing many victories. Joal himself was wounded several times, and found himself quickly promoted to Lieutenant. In 28 ABY, the New Republic turned into the Galactic Alliance, and Lebon found himself in the Galactic Alliance Army. He was transferred to Special Operations and promoted to Captain in 29 ABY. It was at this time that he met the Jedi General who would eventually become his life long friend, Talben Foelin. Felucia Campaign Near the tail end of the war, Joal found himself leading a platoon of soldiers into battle on Felucia, commanded overall by Foelin. The campaign against the Vong went well initially, however quickly turned sour as the Vong pushed the advancing Galactic Alliance soldiers almost back to their landing zone. It was at this time that Lebon experienced his most serious injury, nearly dying after being stabbed by a Vong blade. He was rescued by Foelin, and the General inspired his forces to push on, eventually removing the Vong from the planet. Recovery Lebon spent a week in a bacta tank and another month after that recovering from his wounds. During his recuperation, the Yuuzhan Vong surrendered and the Galactic Alliance found itself back in a relative peace. Lebon thanked the Jedi who saved him profusely, promising that he would follow him on any adventure that he undertook. Second Galactic Civil War Lebon found himself promoted to Major by this time in the Galactic Alliance Special Operations Military branch. As a staunch loyalist, he was initially supportive of Galactic Alliance, but when it was taken over by Jacen Solo, operating under the name Darth Caedus, he found himself uneasy. In 41 ABY, he was approached by his old friend Talben, who asked him to join his own brigade, which he intended to use to fight against Caedus' Galactic Alliance. He agreed, and resigned from the Galactic Alliance Military after twenty years of service. He was promised the rank of Major and the ability to command his own battalion of soldiers. Ultimately, Caedus was defeated by his sister Jaina the same year. However, since the clones were already paid for and Lebon was no longer a Galactic Alliance Major, he stayed on. Formation of Foelin's Brigade The newly minted Major of the 4th Battalion found himself in charge of a Special Operations unit. Lebon assisted in training his soldiers along with the instructors that Foelin provided. He determined that his battalion, since it was the smallest and best trained, would be jet-pack soldiers. These highly trained commandos were tasked with search and destroy missions, as well as extraction and infiltration assignments. Service in the Brigade During the Mission to Ylesia, which was the Brigade's first mission, Lebon found himself surveying over the battle and dispatching forces in his duties as Chief Tactical Officer. After interrogating a Black Sun operative captured during the mission, he planned the Skirmish on Coruscant, the second mission for the Brigade. It was after this mission that Lebon was promoted to Acting-Commander. Lebon oversaw the Battle over Sector Ten against former Galactic Alliance Admiral Vandergraaf, whom Lebon had previously forced out of service. He triumphed over the former war hero and tactical genius. For this, Foelin promoted Lebon to Admiral and placed him on equal footing with Commander Moira Valentian and Chief Marshal MVA-0170 "Jackie". Personality and Traits As a military officer, Lebon held himself to extremely high standards, that were instilled upon him since birth by his mother, who had been used to the rigid standards that Imperial officers were held to. Initially believing that a good commander led his forces into battle at the front and fought alongside his troops, following his near-death experience on Felucia, his views changed and he began leading from afar. Currently, Lebon can be found ordering his troops into battle on the bridge of the Triumphant whilst watching the events unfold on a holographic map and ordering around a subordinate attendant. Lebon also suffers from a for of PTSD due to his experience on Felucia. He has been known to experience panic attacks upon the mention of the Fourth Battle of Felucia. He does not experience attacks at the mention of the planet itself or of its inhabitants, likely due to his friend Tarkaal. Skills and Abilities Lebon was also extremely adept at hand to hand conflict, as well as a superb marksman. During his time at Galactic Alliance Special Operations, he learned a wide variety of skills, which he in turn passed on to his own soldiers. Lebon's skills have rusted due to a combination of age and disuse. Besides the training exercises with his forces, he has not fought an enemy face to face since the Felucia Campaign in 29 ABY. Despite attempts to practice and train himself, he still finds himself not as good as he once was, a fact that he tries to hide. Uniform and Weapons He himself wore light armor during missions despite never leaving to fight. Lebon also kept a personal sidearm on him at all times, and has only used it once in a training exercise with his two platoons.